Department spokesman Larry Langford said it appeared that the battery touched something metal inside the case while it was being carried Tuesday morning, causing it to short circuit and disintegrate.

He says the small explosion caused the case to open enough to allow a material inside the battery to spill onto the baggage handler's arms. He says the United Airlines baggage handler was taken to an area hospital, where he was treated for minor burns.

Langford says there's no indication of criminal activity associated with the incident.